The LoCo Experience

In today’s episode of The LoCo Experience, I was joined by Teres Lambert and David Haase - fellow members of the Breakfast Rotary Club in Fort Collins - which meets every Thursday morning at 7 am at Ginger & Baker!  They were here in part to talk about a pair of significant Rotary events upcoming this spring and summer - the Field of Honor  - May 23 - 26 - spearheaded by Teres, and talk with David about The Peach Festival - whi...

Wade Keith grew up in Alabama, and came to Colorado as a raft guide - but after he found love and wanted to start a family he decided to pursue a professional career.  This journey included stops at Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Odell’s Taproom, Otterbox, and now approaching 15 years “Working at the Carwash”.  But - not just any car wash - Breeze Thru Car Wash, the dominant membership car wash club in Northern Colorado.  Wade is now a par...

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work - if the Beer Tastes Great!  Josh & Angie Grenz, Owners of Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project in Loveland, and Verboten North Brewpub in Fort Collins.  

I met Josh and Angie Grenz in the early months of their opening their first Verboten location in a quiet industrial park in Loveland, and Angie actually came to the very first organizational meeting for the first LoCo Think Tank chapter - before I ...

I met Edward Rinehart at my Rotary Club, where he was sharing his journey with DECA - Distributive Education Clubs of America - an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through educational programs and competitions.  Colorado had 9,000 participants in DECA programs in 2024, with the top competitors advancing through District Competitions to State and Interna...

This week, I was pleased to be joined by Jessica Dizmang, the Owner/Operator of the ONLY three franchised Ben & Jerry’s locations in Colorado, with scoop shops located in Fort Collins, Denver, and Boulder.  Her father had a career in corporate franchising, with a stop at Ben & Jerry’s, and made her aware of an opportunity in Boulder.  She was a fresh college graduate, and very not inclined to work at an ice cream shop - but...

My guest today was Zak George, Founder and Owner and Head Coach at Zak George Landscaping, LLC.  ZGL - as the trucks around town say on the side - is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year!  Zak has a strong history of growth in the Residential and Commercial Construction and Commercial Maintenance segment, plus a substantial snow removal operation to keep some of the guys busy in the winter.  

Zak has an interesting business mo...

Ginger Graham returns to The LoCo Experience studio, and this time brings her hunky husband, Jack!  

Jack Graham came to Fort Collins to play quarterback for CSU, and was drafted into the NFL for the Miami Dolphins.  In his post-football career, Jack quickly became an innovative disrupter in the reinsurance industry, and he founded International Catastrophe Insurance Managers, distributing risks from natural disasters such as hurric...

I met Pete Gazlay late in my banking career, as one of my colleagues was pursuing a banking relationship with the owner of a young but rapidly growing janitorial company - Total Facility Care.  Pete founded the business in 2010, after departure from a fast-growing middle-market company in the same industry.  

At the start, Pete was a one-man team, selling janitorial services during the day - and executing the cleanings at night!  Th...

Alex Raymond is a 3x tech startup founder and entrepreneur who made the journey up from Boulder to The LoCo Experience studio to share his journey and some wisdom he’s learned along the way.  He was an early client of TechStars, and has been a long-term mentor in the program.  And - he share how listeners can expand their business brains and mindfulness at the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit - upcoming May 28 and 29 in Boulder.  

Alex...

This week, I was pleased to spend time with Scott Kissel, Executive Director of Sky Corral Ranch - located near the top of the full-year drivable portion of Old Flowers Road in Bellvue, Colorado.  LoCo Think Tank has held its annual Next Level Summit at Sky Corral the past two years, and we’re pleased to return this August for another amazing dose of mountain hospitality!  

Scott has lived quite an interesting journey, growing up in...

Ann Baron is the Founder and CEO of Northern Colorado Community - an events and networking and business support organization with members across Northern Colorado - as the name would imply!  

Ann has lived an extraordinary journey, in some ways starting when was adopted from a South Korean orphanage at 4 years old, and raised by a family in Oregon.  She became a teacher fresh out of college - didn’t like it - and went into her fathe...

Phil Gottula was my first guest to bring in a charcuterie plate - and we shared a beautiful bottle of white wine he also brought in - and we talked about the business of event rentals.  Specifically, his business which is the leader in Northern Colorado event rentals - FLEXX Productions.  

The event rental industry is an interesting critter.  Unlike a retail transaction where the customer pays and leaves with their stuff - event ren...

Harpist Meredith McCrindle was in Northern Colorado for a few weeks this winter, visiting her parents on an extended trip away from her transplanted home in Ayr, Scotland.  For a portion of the trip, her close friend Jai McDowall joined her - his first time in Colorado.  I met Meredith when she was at our Rotary Club one morning, promoting her upcoming concert with Jai in Fort Collins.  She agreed (and voluntold Jai) to come on the...

Dain Johnson was a high-level mechanical and industrial engineer for a decade, during which time he worked under some great managers - and some terrible ones!  He developed a keen interest in psychology, eventually leading him to further his education with a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from CSU, and to the founding of his business, Rev 0.

Dain is a coach for engineers turned managers. These range from first-t...

Jane Brewer grew up in a diverse neighborhood in the heart of New York City, with a constant heart for people and service and adventure.  She signed up for AmeriCorps to work in support of Habitat for Humanity projects, and at 22 revealed that she didn’t have a driver’s license when asked to drive a truck and trailer to a project!  

A few short years later she drove herself to Crested Butte, Colorado for a job on a ski hill, and wor...

I became acquainted with Cole Strehlow circa 2012, when my wife and I first began attending The Crossing Church in Fort Collins, where Cole still serves as Chief Musician.  He was a gifted writer with a Theology degree from a small university in Northern Wisconsin, and was trying to string an income together through church music, freelance writing, and crappy jobs.

A few years later, he was the first employee of a startup called Win...

Rick Gardner is an EOS Implementer in our Northern Colorado region.  He grew up in Leadville, Colorado, and had his dreams of a long professional bull-riding career ended by injury.  He’s gone on to a series of interesting professional and entrepreneurial ventures, and his previous chapter was founding and growing an Venture Accelerator and Investment Hub aligned with University of Buffalo in New York, which served over 150 compani...

In today’s conversation, I’m joined by longtime Producer of The LoCo Experience, (and continuing as Operations Manager of many hats at LoCo Think Tank) Alma Arellano, along with our newest employee and incoming Producer of the podcast, Ava Munos!  We dig into Ava’s background a bit - which revolved around competitive dance for years - and explore some of the changes coming for Season 5 of The LoCo Experience.

Also, Alma breaks down ...

Nate Hines is the President of Hines, Inc., a global leader in design solutions for irrigation water management.  He is a husband, father, armchair historian, philosopher, and business enthusiast.  He received his secondary education from Oxford University, with degrees in History and Ancient History. 

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